Abstract
This paper explores a Zeitgeist (spirit of the times that pervades the ideas, attitudes, and feelings of a particular society in a specific historical period), a view of history of theory in the context of appearance and dress. It also examines the role of such situational factors as economics, technology, culture, tradition, gender, and religion. In any historical study literary texts should be interpreted within the appropriate historical context, especially analyzing attire and dress. In bygone times, raiment is a form of imitation and therefore of social equalization, however, as societies changed over the centuries, economically, politically and spiritually, psychologically, and ideologically, the emergence of parallel theories were also evidenced. Most importantly, those theories are varied in accordance with the historical eras or centuries. The last millennium has been shaped by successive waves of change, with the leading drivers. Also, each century, especially between 1400-1900, with brief transitional periods between, produced its own unique style/fashion, which was symbolic to that particular era. Men and women dress themselves in accordance with the dictates of that great unknown, the Spirit of the Time, or Zeitgeist, everything in the world was in constant motion: every individual life, nature, history, society. This results in each epoch having its own particular zeitgeist, or general spirit. One historic epoch is not randomly followed by another; instead, there is a principle of logical evolution, the general trend of thought, feeling, or tastes characteristic of a particular period of time, which therefore, must be understood and interpreted accordingly.
Presenters
Damayanthie EluwawalageAssistant Professor, College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Delaware State University, Delaware, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Design Management and Professional Practice
KEYWORDS
Zeitgeist, Theory, Appearance, Dress
